Taiwan News Quick Take

Staff writer, with CNA

TECHNOLOGY

Lighting system developed

A smart lighting system developed by the Institute for Information Industry to illuminate parking lots can help reduce electricity use by 65 percent compared with conventional lighting, the developer said yesterday. Replacing traditional lamps with LED lighting can cut electricity use by 45 percent, and with the smart system, an additional 10 percent to 20 percent can be saved, said Jamie Wang, the project’s manager. In addition to motion sensors and ambient light sensors, the system features an auto mechanism that can adjust the brightness of the lights, she said. Although the cost of the new lights is about twice that of ordinary ones, they can be used for three to five times longer, Wang added.

SPORTS

Ultramarathon on Dec. 7

More than 30 runners from home and abroad will compete in an annual ultramarathon in December in Taipei, in which a Japanese runner will return to seek his ninth win in the event, organizers said yesterday. Now in its 13th year, the Soochow International Ultramarathon Race will see 36 runners from Taiwan and five other countries, including Japan and Italy, competing, officials from Taipei-based Soochow University said at a news conference. Participants in the 24-hour race, to be held at the university’s 400m track on Dec. 7, will include Japan’s Ryoichi Sekiya, 45, who has won eight of the school’s 24-hour events, organizers said. The university will also hold two new events on the day of the race — a 7km run along a road nearby and a five-hour ultramarathon relay. Members of the public are invited to sign up for these events, the organizers said.